Monday, October 10, 2011

A True Meeting of the Minds

As an IT professional, it is important to keep up with current trends and techniques. Technology advances at the speed of light, making it difficult to be aware of all the latest in equipment, software and services. To stay on top, we read a lot of books and magazines, attend seminars in person or on-line, meet with business partners and may even participate in a formal education program. One method we all embrace is networking. Talking to your peers who have or will face many of the sane challenges is one of the most important ways of keeping up.

SIM is an international organization devoted to the community of senior IT professionals. I am currently the President of the Fairfield Westchester Chapter, one of the largest and most active chapters. With almost 200 members from large and small companies in the area, FW SIM delivers real value to its members.

We hold monthly dinner meetings with speakers and agenda to rival the best seminars and one day conferences. These events take place after work and afford our members a relaxed atmosphere where they can mingle and chat before sitting down to a great meal. During dinner we will have a speaker or panel and present on topics of interest to the senior IT manager. This always sparks lively discussion, but we manage to get people on their way home before they turn into a pumpkin.

The chapter fosters other activities such as mentoring circles and assistance to members in transition. We have a summer outing, which usually involves some yummy lobster, and a holiday party for our members and their guests.

But our crowning event each year is the CIO Executive Leadership Summit. This is the one day conference that rivals the best of them bar none. The event this year is being held at the Greenwich Hyatt on October 24th and if you are a senior IT professional and you have not registered yet you need to do so now. We will draw attendees from Washington DC to Boston and everyplace in between. There is no cost for the event but you must qualify by being a CIO, CTO or a direct report in a large organization.

The speakers are terrific, the food is great and the content would be worth the trip. Our sponsors will be in an exhibit hall all day, available to discuss or demonstrate their products and services. But the hidden value is the opportunity to meet and interact with hundreds of your peers all day long.

While the thought leadership of our presenters is truly unparalleled, our members consistently rate networking as the number one benefit of our programs. It is the best way to ensure that you are keeping pace, to learn and to share. At this event you will have the chance to meet and interact with some of the finest business and technology leaders in the world.

If you make it to the event, come and say hello. I'll be that guy on stage welcoming everyone and introducing each of the speakers.

About the author

As a senior business and technology professional and a former Fortune 500 Vice President and CIO, I have extensive experience managing technology for a large, complex business and diverse technical environments across several industries.